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Clara H. recently joined us while completing her confirmation service hours, and we were so glad to have her! During her time at the pantry, Clara helped assemble senior bags alongside LIFE volunteer Barb Kruse, making a direct impact on the individuals we serve each week. She also took a tour of the pantry to learn more about our mission and daily operations.

Thank you, Clara, for your time, compassion, and willingness to serve your community!

If you have friends or neighbors interested in volunteering at LIFE, please share our next Volunteer Info Session on April 13 with them. They will enjoy a guided tour of the pantry, get answers to frequently asked questions, and learn how they can get involved in meaningful, hands-on ways. 

Exciting news! Please help us welcome Carol Rountree as our new executive director.

Carol is a nonprofit and social-impact professional with more than 20 years of experience in volunteer engagement, client experience, and community-focused program development. 

She has held leadership roles across nonprofit technology, fundraising, and volunteer management. She was client experience manager at Galaxy Digital, principal giving development coordinator at the University of Cincinnati Foundation, and chief volunteer officer for Cincinnati Cares. Throughout her career, Carol has focused on building strong systems, empowering people, and strengthening nonprofit capacity.

A dedicated community leader, Carol has served on numerous boards and committees and brings a collaborative, people-centered leadership style to her work. She holds a BA in elementary education and sociology from SUNY Brockport and is driven by a lifelong passion for service and making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

We’re excited for this next chapter and the leadership she brings to our mission!

The 2025 Holiday Food Program was an extraordinary success, thanks to the generosity, teamwork, and compassion of the entire Loveland community. Together, we ensured that hundreds of families could celebrate the season with full tables and full hearts.

This year, the community provided:

• 300 Thanksgiving food boxes.
• 250 Holiday food boxes.

These boxes were filled with the ingredients families needed to prepare traditional holiday meals.

The scale of support this year was truly inspiring:

• 12,000 food items were donated throughout November and December.
• Contributions came from local schools, churches, businesses, and community members.
• More than 100 volunteers—students, community members, and pantry volunteers, sorted, packed, delivered, and supported every step of the process.

Planning for this effort begins each August, and the dedication of our volunteers ensures that everything comes together seamlessly.

The program culminated on Pass It On Day, held on the Thursday before Thanksgiving. This event, now in its 25th year, was originally created through a partnership between the Loveland City School District PTA and the LIFE Food Pantry. Over the years, it has grown into a community-wide celebration of giving. 

Today, churches, businesses, and additional schools join LCSD in bringing their donations to Prince of Peace Church, where volunteers sort and pack the boxes for distribution.

Northstar Church expanded delivery services for Thanksgiving boxes, ensuring that even more families, especially those with transportation challenges, received their meals with ease and dignity.

The outpouring of support this year was overwhelming. Every can, every box, every hour volunteered made a difference. The LIFE Food Pantry is deeply grateful for the kindness and commitment shown by our neighbors. Together, we continue to make Loveland a place where compassion thrives and no family faces the holidays alone. We look forward to celebrating 25 years of Pass It On during the 2026 holiday season.

The incredible generosity of our community made it possible for this year’s Empty Bowls event to raise a record $20,000 to help fight food insecurity in our Loveland community!

We’re deeply grateful to everyone who made this possible — our attendees, sponsors, pottery donors, and volunteers — whose time, talent, and support continue to fill bowls and hearts across our community.

Every dollar raised helps provide food and hope to neighbors in need. Together, we’re making a difference — one bowl at a time. Thank you for being part of this meaningful tradition.

A special thank you to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church for all their planning, support, and use of their building for this event. And, of course, none of this would have been possible without our amazing sponsors.

Individual sponsors

• Anna Bunker
• Susan Chace
• Coit and Leigh Edison
• Linda Erney
• Karen Kamfjord
• Connie Malone
• Dr. Cathy Rosenbaum, Rx Integrative Solutions
• Pat Zerbe

Business and organizational sponsors

It was a packed house at DVD Brew on October 28 for the fundraiser they hosted for LIFE Food Pantry.

The event was a major success. We enjoyed great discussions with people from the community, and we left with a van full of non-perishables and more than $400 in donations.

We are grateful to DVD Brew for hosting and to the Loveland community for its support! Special thanks to Cee Cee Collins and Meredith Taylor from Little Miami River Chamber Alliance — and to our very own Eric Neuville — for serving as guest bartenders.